The article outlines the case of Cleshaun Cox, a former police officer sentenced for raping a teenager. Initially given a lenient sentence by state judges, federal prosecutors took over the case, resulting in an 18-year sentence after Cox pleaded guilty to civil rights violations. This intervention highlighted a significant effort by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, especially under Kristen Clarke's leadership, to prosecute police abuse cases. However, concerns rise over the future of such prosecutions due to the changing political climate and the potential waning of federal enforcement.
"Outrageous," a judge said of the crimes. He rejected the deal.
This federal intervention was a rarity, one of about a dozen times since 2008 that the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has prosecuted local police officers who used their positions of power to sexually abuse children.
Kristen Clarke, head of the Civil Rights Division during the Biden administration, held up Cox's conviction as a promise that the federal government would continue to hold abusive officers accountable.
More than two dozen current and former Justice Department employees and child advocates warn that federal authorities will be unlikely to take on or help with these cases in the coming years.
Collection
[
|
...
]